BioShock Infinite: Elizabeth DLC almost survival horror

Female character ‘won’t play like Booker in a dress'

Irrational Games has explained how playing as Elizabeth will differ from playing as Booker in upcoming BioShock: Infinite DLC. The recently announced Buried at Sea will be a two-part campaign add-on which sees Booker and Elizabeth return to Rapture before the fall of the underwater city that served as the setting for the original BioShock and its sequel.

While the first part of the story will see players resume the role of Booker, the second will see them step into Elizabeth’s shoes for the first time. Irrational boss Ken Levine described Elizabeth's campaign as “almost survival horror” in an interview with IGN, while lead level designer Amanda Jeffrey said playing as the female protagonist will be less combat-focused and more strategic.

"Liz is such a different character to Booker, and if we were to just put Booker in a dress, then that would be the most awful betrayal of what we're doing for Liz, and players would just feel like it was a cheap way out, and that's not something that we want to do,” Jeffrey said. “She needs to be kind of thinking in a roundabout way of how to deal with her enemies. And, sometimes, that might mean completely bypassing the enemy entirely. It may mean, in another situation, using the enemy's strength against them.

"We're still trying to work out exactly how extensive Liz's tear abilities will be. I will say, though, that Elizabeth and her tear abilities are not necessarily a 'win button.' So she's not entirely godlike in her abilities. She will have far more powerful ways of interacting with the world than we saw in Infinite proper, but at the same time, it won't just be a case of walking to a space and going, 'I'm just going to press a button, and now happy ending for everyone!'"

BioShock Infinite’s Buried at Sea campaigns will each be priced at £10/$15 (1200 Microsoft Points). Release dates have yet to be confirmed.